History of School and Other Libraries

General School Library History

Magic Casements - A survey of school library history from the eighth to the twentieth century. A Ph. D. thesis by Laurel Anne Clyde, James Cook University, 1981. The entire document is available in pdf and other formats as an ePrint

School Libraries in the United States

Fifty Years of Supporting Children's Learning - A History of Public School Libraries and Federal Legislation, 1953 - 2000. This report by Joan S. Michie and Barbara A. Holton contains a great deal of statistical information about school libraries during this period.
America's Public School Libraries, 1953 - 2000 - From the National Center for Educational Statistics. Information on the number of school libraries, the history of federal funding, and standards for school libraries.
When was the First School Library? - This question answered by the American Library Association.
Frances Henne and the Development of School Library Standards
The Knapp School Libraries Project - In 1962, the Knapp Foundation gave $1,300,000 to the AASL to fund the development of model school libraries which would demonstrate the effectiveness of good school libraries.
The Kansas Association of School Librarians - From the Kansas Historical Society.
School Libraries in 19th Century North Carolina, 1800-1876: - An article by Patrick M. Valentine in North Carolina Libraries, Vol. 68, Spring/Summer, 2010.
A History of the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association
A History of School Libraries in Texas - by Janelle Paris for the Texas State Historical Association.
A History of Central High School Library - The library in Philadelphia, PA opened in 1838.
AASL History, 1914 - 1951 - by Patricia Pond, School Library Media Quarterly, Fall, 1976.
History of NJASL - A history of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians.
A History of the Rhode Island Library Association - 1903 - 1978
Library Day - a day in 1915 in Tennessee which was dedicated to raising funds for school libraries. It was also observed in Nebraska where it was proclaimed by a state resolution in 1892.
School Library Month History - by the AASL
The ALA Library History Archives - A place to continue your search for school library history.
Information School Library - of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. If you are researching the history of libraries and children's books, you may find this site helpful.

School Libraries in Canada

Rising From the Ashes: The Canadian School Libraries Story - By Anita Brooks Kirkland, 2017.
A History of the Manitoba School Library Association
The Sunday School Library Collection - By the McGill University Library Rare Books and Special Collection Division. Books from a 19th century Sunday School.
History of Libraries in Canada - From Historica Canada

School Libraries in Great Britain

The History of School Libraries 1937 to the Modern Day

General Library History

The American Library Association Archives - at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
The History of Information - a very interesting site which has the history of information from prehistoric man to the present day.
Melville Dewey Establishes the first school for the training of librarians.In 1887 Melville Dewey established the School of Library Economy at Columbia University in New York.
National Library Week: “For a Better-Read, Better-Informed America” An article on the history of National Library Week by Lydia Tang, April 10, 2015.
When America's Librarians Went to War - The story of American librarians in World War I and II. This is from NPR.
Librarians in Uniforms - Pictures of the Library War Service during World War I. From the American Library Archives at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“The Best Man in America is a Woman:” Katharine L. Sharp and the First “Lady Librarians - First director of the University of Illinois Library School.
Women of Library History - a project of Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association.
A Library Primer - by John Cotten Dana, 3rd. edition, 1903. The primary audience was the public librarian, but there is useful advice for all librarians.
The Evolving Catalog - The history of library catalogs. This is an article by Karen Coyle in American Libraries, January 4, 2016.
Otis Hall Robinson - The clever fellow who thought up the idea of putting holes in catalog cards so they could be attached to rods.
A History of the Library of Congress - From the Library of Congress.
A History of the Smithsonian Libraries - by The Smithsonian.
The Bodleian Library - in Oxford. This is a great and very important library.
The Secret History of Libraries - You may enjoy reading about these hidden Libraries. This is an article by Fiona Macdonald, August, 2016.
The Sjoerd Koopman Library Postcard Collection - A collection of 16,000 post cards picturing libraries around the world. This collection is at the AlA Archives site.
The Library History Buff's Top 10 Library History Websites
Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Printing - List of links to web sites.
Library History Round Table - Of the American Library Association.
The Evolution of the Medieval Book - A very attractive site by the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections of Cornell University Library. Note the section on books which could be chained to the wall which is a very useful idea.

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This site is maintained by Linda Bertland, retired school librarian, Philadelphia, PA. Please address any comments, additions, or corrections to info@sldirectory.com.